Belt-shifter



A. F. POTRIER AND H. E, ALLEN.

BELT SHIFTERQ APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, I920.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L "gmvewtow A. F. POIRIER AND H. E. ALLEN.

BELT SHIFTEH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY17.1920.

Pqtented J an. 4, 1921.

2 .SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Emma Wow UNITED STA PA TENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR POIRIER AND HARVEY ALLEN, OF WILTON, MAINE.

BELT-SHIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4,1921.

Application filed May 17, 1.920. Serial No. 381,879.

others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in belt shifters, to be applied to carding inachines especially, and all other machines where the belt passes through the floor, and the present disclosure is directed more particularly to a device which takes the place of the usualbelt box commonly used to pile vent waste and other material. from falling through floor openings through which the belts pass.

The principal object of the invention is toprovide a simple and inexpensive. yet an eflicient and durable device of the class described, having a novel form of belt guide mounted to turn and allow twisting of the belt when shifting, thereby overcoming the danger of injuring the edge of the belt.

Withthe foregoing in view, the inventicm resides in the novel construction and arrangement of .parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a verticalsectional view of our invention showing its application.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section as indicated. by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the plane designated by line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l-

a bottom plan view of one of the belt guides with parts broken away and in section.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the retaining plate for the belt guide.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the belt guide shown in Fig. 4:, on the plane of line 6--6.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the lock and guide employed for the belt shifting lever.

Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section on the plane indicated by line 88 of Fig. 7.

In carrying out our invention, we provide a slide 1 upon which a belt guide 2 is mounted to turn and allow slight twistingof the belt when said guide is operated to shift the same, thus overcoming the danger of injuring the belt edges as often occurswith the forms of shifters now commonly used. .We prefer to construct the slide 1 of r a fiat metal plate'provided adjacent its center with a circular opening 3, while its edges are received in channel shaped tracks 4 extending along the upper side of a bedplate 5, said bed plate being secured to the floor 6 by cap screws or the like 7 and having alslot S registering with the floor slot Qthrough which the belt 10passes. 7

The belt guide 2 is preferably of, cast metal construction and is provided; with a circular body 11 received rotatably in the opening 8, the upper side of said body having a lateral flange. 12 resting on the slide 1, while a suitable retaining .plate 13 contacts with the lower side of said slide and is se cured by screws or the like lie) the body 11. The guide 2 is thus mountedrotatably Within the opening 3 but the extent of rotation is limited by opposite portions 19 of the flange 12, which portions are tapered in plan view as seen clearly in Fig. 2, in. order that they may permit a limited movement of the guide, but will then strike the tracks 4 to prevent further rotation.

The body 11 is preferably provided on its upper side with an elongatedboss 15 and a belt receiving slot- 16 is formed. through said body and bossyrgistering with a similar slot'liin the plate 13. the slide 1 and the guide 2; are used"forlpositively shifting thebeltasshown in Fig.1 at the lower side of Fig. 2, and at the left side of Fig. 3, we mount suitable rollers 18 in re cesses 19 at the ends of the slot 16, said rollers being adapted to engage the belt edges and prevent possible injury thereto. When the slide 1 and associated parts are merely used as a seal for the floor opening however. as shown at the top of Fig. 2 and at the right of Fig. 3, no such rollers are necessary since the slide is shifted by the belt with little resistance. We provide a slide for each reach of the belt 10 and the rollerequipped slide may be shifted by any preferred means such as a lever 20 fulcrumed to the frame of the machine and connected appropriately at 21 with said slide. The other slide however requires no operating means but is shifted by the belt.

The rollers 18 may be mounted in any preferred manner, but we have shown short shafts 22 passing therethrough and provided with flattened ends 23 received in vertical slots 24 at opposite sides of the recesses 19. The shaft ends 23 are held against removal from the slots 24: by the retaining plate 13.

By employing the guide 2 and rotatably mounting it upon the slide, movement of one slide will shift the belt for instance from a tight to a loose pulle and during such shifting, the belt has a tendency to twist. This twist'is permitted by turning of the guide 2 and the belt shifting thrust is there by imparted partially against one fiat side of the belt and partly against its edge, in stead of thrusting entirely against the edge as is the case with belt shifters heretofore devised. Whereas the belt is soon damaged by the old forms of shifters, no injury results from the use of our invention.

Any adequate means may be employed for locking the lever 20 ineither position to which it is shifted, but we prefer to employ a guide arm 25 shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 7 and 8, said arm being suitably mounted on the machine and having a longitudinal slot 26 within which the lever 20 operates. A lever stop 27 projects from one side of the slot 26 and serves to hold lever 20 in either position. In order to shift the lever, it is necessary first to'spring it out of engagement with the stop.

Stop 27 is preferably adjustable along the arm 25, according to the positions assumed by the lever 20, and although this adjustment could be effected in numerous ways, we preferably provide the arm 25 with a slot 28 parallel with the slot 26, and pass a screw or like fastener 29 through said slot into en agement with the stop 27.

ince excellent results are obtainable from .:the several details disclosed, we prefer to We claim:

1. A belt shifter comprising a pair of parallel tracks, a slide plate supported for rectilinear movement by said tracks and having a circular opening, and a belt guide having a circular portion rotatably received in said circular opening of said slide plate, said belt guide having a belt receiving slot normally parallel with said tracks.

2. A belt shifter comprising a slide having a circular opening, and a belt guide having a circular portion rotatably received in said opening to turn with any twisting of the belt, said guide having lateral flanges on opposite sides of said slide to hold it in place, and being provided with a belt re ceiving slot..

3. A belt shifter comprising parallel guide tracks, a slide plate mounted between said tracks and having a circular opening, and a belt guide having a circular portion rotatably mounted in said opening to turn with ,any twisting of the belt, said guide having an outstanding flange bearing against one side of the slide plate and adapted to strike the aforesaid tracks to limit the rotation of said guide.

4. A belt shifter comprising a slide hav- -ing a circular opening, a belt guide having a circular portion rotatably received in said opening to turn with any twisting of the belt, said guide having a lateral flange hearing against one side of said slide, a retaining plate secured to said guide and contacting with the other side of said slide, said guide and retaining plate having registering belt receiving slots whose ends are provided with opposed vertical slots, transverse shafts having their ends received in said vertical slots and retained therein by said retaming plate, and rollers mounted on said shafts for engaging the belt edges.

in testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ARTHUR r. roininn. HARVEY n. ALLEN. 

